


Love Hurts (discontinued - remake in consideration)

by DarkCanid19



Series: Legendary [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Bede is a selective asshole, F/M, Gay, Hop is a gay mess, I dunno if I wanna do smut but maybe, Leon is overprotective, M/M, Prequel, Sequel, pride month special
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:22:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24656773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCanid19/pseuds/DarkCanid19
Summary: Hop and Bede have never seen eye-to-eye with each other since their first meeting. But when Bede suddenly apologises out of the blue, Hop's heart spirals out of control as he tries to figure out what he really wants.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Hop, Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Series: Legendary [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647550
Comments: 11
Kudos: 52





	1. Rookidee need to shut the fuck up

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!  
> I'm taking a break from Bloodline for a while, so I decided to write this Pride Month exclusive to keep up with my writing needs!  
> Please note that this is during and after most of Legendary's events, so this may spoil things for those of you who haven't read what's in the series so far!

  
The sounds of Rookidee chirping away in the treetops used to be soothing. Now it was nothing but annoying. Listening to them tell each other off while he was in a bad mood tempted him to chuck a rock through the leaves just to get them to shut up. Walking along the trail back to Hammerlocke was supposed to be relaxing. Then again, he wasn't exactly open to relaxing.  
Hop stopped walking and stayed still for a moment, shoving his hands angrily into his pockets and trying to take deep breaths. Just seeing _his_ face again set him off. After the incident in Motostoke, Hop had decided that he hated Bede with every fiber of his being. He had said that he was weak. Worthless. Dragging his brother's name through the dirt, making him look bad. But it wasn't exactly a lie, now was it? Hop was weak, worthless, and all the other things Bede had called him before he decided to punch him in retaliation. It was the first time Hop had hurt anyone physically, at least with a valid intention. And it felt _good_. It wasn't supposed to be like that; No one harmed anyone and liked it. You weren't supposed to harm anyone at all.  
And yet here he was, the image of Bede's split lip and bruising eye. Unlike the last few times, he couldn't bring himself to smile and feel pride. He had hurt someone. Hop, the friendly kid from Postwick with a fluffy Wooloo and an adorable Scorbunny. The most wholesome kid in town was what he was often referred as. If he had told someone about what happened who hadn't seen it in person, they would never believe him. And that was a good thing, he supposed. Not a lot of people had witnessed it, but he could guarantee that those who did at least snapped pictures of the event, if not recorded it. If so, then almost everyone would know about it. News like that spreads like a GMax Wildfire during a Sunny Day. What would people think of him now? Even though it was indeed weeks ago, everyone would be speculating about him by now. Would Leon think of him as a dangerous person? Was he _currently_ thinking that?  
Who cared about Leon, anyways? Like Hop had said before, it was always about his brother. How famous he was, how strong he was, even how utterly handsome he was (that one was mostly from Raihan). Hop became invisible to everyone when Leon was around. He didn't matter as long as the real hero was in the spotlight.  
Well, maybe he should have stuck around for that Steelix, anyways.  
Back at Stow-on-Side, only about a half an hour ago, Hop had a battle with Bede again. Both of them had been down to their last pokemon, the odds looking even on both ends. Either could have won, but the battle had been interrupted. Bede had a certain fire in those amethyst eyes of his, reflecting all the anger and hatred that he had for his opponent. It scared Hop, to be honest, but it had left him with wondering why. Why all the anger and hate? Yeah, sure, they got into a practical fist fight, and Hop had a reason for hating him, but Bede had started it. What right did he have to hate him back?  
Maybe it was something else, but either way it piqued Hop's curiosity. He hated himself for that. It wasn't his business, and he didn't want to be part of said business. Who cared about Bede and what went on inside his head?  
Hop actually paused to think that over. If it was something to do with anything he was going through himself...  
"No," he told himself. "I'm not getting involved."  
The Rookidee chirped back at that, as if they were mocking him.  
"Oh, shut _up_!"  
Dead silence. If that was what he had to do earlier, he would have. Anything to cut off their Arceus-awful chirping. Finally, some peace and quiet to think.  
"Rude. What'd they ever do to you?"  
Hop went rigid. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe again. _Just walk away. Ignore him._  
And yet he couldn't bring himself to move.  
The presence of someone else next to him cause Hop to break out into a sweat. Had it have been anyone else, he wouldn't have reacted that way. But it was a very specific someone, and therefore he decided that he was obligated to freak out.  
"Well? I asked you a question."  
"What do you want, Bede?" Hop growled through gritted teeth.  
"Isn't it natural to make small talk to someone you know?" the other scoffed. "Honestly, who would be so heartless to ignore that?"  
Hop squinted his eyes shut harder. _Breathe. Inhale, exhale. He's just trying to get on your nerves._  
"Well, at least look at me, for Arceus' sake!"  
He did, and he made sure that his expression carried as much anger that he could muster. But he faltered when he saw Bede's own expression. Was that... regret?  
"Finally. I was wondering if you were paralyzed or something," he commented.  
"And why would you care?"  
He looked honestly quite shocked. "I know I'm an asshole, but I'm not that bad."  
Hop gave him an unamused frown. He started to walk away again before Bede called out to him.  
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? Happy now?"  
he almost barked out a laugh at that. Bede? Saying he was sorry? How amusing. But he stopped himself, unsure if it was a joke or not.  
"You are?" he asked, turning around.  
Bede scrunched his nose like he had just caught a whiff of a particularly bad odor. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry for what I said. It wasn't my place to insult someone like you," he explained.  
"Someone like me?" Hop echoed.  
The other seemed to choke on his own words. "You're the Champion's brother. Of course you're not like others." That obviously was a made-up answer that he had pulled out of his ass at the last moment, but it still struck another nerve for Hop.  
Being compared as Leon's brother was the last thing he needed right now.  
"Anyways, are you going to let me have a conversation with you, or are you going to up and leave again?"  
"Fine."  
Since when was Bede open to conversation with _him_? They'd been at each other's throats ever since the incident at the Galar Mine and the Wishing Stars. Why have a change of heart now, of all times?  
Oh. Probably because he had basically just been disowned and cast out from the Gym Challenge. Hop would say it was his own damn fault, but a little voice inside told him that Rose had set him up. He felt like it was one of those moments where one would tell the other "sorry for your loss", but it wasn't like anyone had _died_. Though it felt tragic enough now that he thought of it.  
In a way, Hop knew exactly how it felt. To be cast away and alone (well, for him it was metaphorically, but still-) to his dark thoughts.  
"I should be the one saying sorry," Hop began slowly, picking his words carefully. "If I hadn't stepped up to battle you, you could have gotten away with it. You'd still be in the gym challenge, and-"  
"Please. If anything, I should be relieved to be rid of that stuck-up man. It's not like I haven't been on my own before," Bede interrupted.  
Hop blinked. "What do you mean by that?"  
Bede froze. "Nothing," he snapped. "Thank you for your precious time."  
Hop couldn't do anything as Bede returned to his snarky, angry attitude and left without another word. He gave no invitation to be called back, either. And so Hop was left standing there, more confused than before. It was nice to talk to him for once, sure, but what did he _mean_ by it?  
To be honest, it had him aching to talk more. But then again, Bede was long gone by now. Running after him would probably have him getting his head bit off with words. So he slowly distracted himself, focusing on getting to Hammerlocke again. And well enough behind that Bede wouldn't notice him.  
"There you are!"  
"Oh for the love of Arceus," Hop muttered. He forced a smile on his face before he turned back around, greeting Eliana, Leon, and Raihan with a totally unsuspicious "Hey!"  
Eliana would then go on to tell him off for wandering away like he did. Hop only listened halfway, still distracted by what Bede had said. Well, color him interested in learning more.


	2. Coincidence? I think not-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop receives an anonymous gift at the pokemon center, leaving him bewildered and even more conflicted than before.

It was only a couple hours until they reached Hammerlocke, in which Hop insisted that he split off from them again to explore the city - at least the parts that he hadn't seen yet. For instance, he hasn't gotten to see the inside of the infamous gym. Even the dragon-type sanctuary inside had a spot on his bucket list. Maybe it would take his mind off of things. Maybe.  
It wasn't like he was going to get jumped or anything. Sure, there were thugs around every town or city, but he had his pokemon with him. In fact, Cinderace was walking beside him, distracted by anything or anyone that passed. Of course, that caused issues for Hop, who was just itching to get to the gym to get a sneak peek of what he was in for later on. Sure, he had heard things from Raihan, but he had a tendancy to... well, add a little flair to his explanations of how over how ridiculously amazing he was that only very few challengers ever got past him. Yeah, says the man who's had a constant ten-nil streak against Leon. Hop would rather find out for himself than listen to Raihan exaggerate for hours.  
He stopped by the pokemon center to rest his newly caught Trevanant, which had almost swept his entire team before he caught it out of pure luck. If he had lost... He'd rather not dwell on that. There was a reason that the Glimwood Tangle had an infestation of Phantump. He still had leaves and branches stuck in his hair, which earned him a few concerned glances from the people he passed.  
Nurse Joy had happily taken his pokemon without even glancing up at him. Though when she did, her face went pale. "Oh, my. Whatever happened to you?"  
Hop shrugged. "Don't get in a fight with a possessed tree, I guess," he replied bluntly.  
Joy let out a small giggle at that. "It'll take at least half an hour for them to heal completely. If you want, you can take a room upstairs and take a rest yourself."  
"No, I'm good. Thanks anyways."  
She nodded, giving a little bow. And just like that, she turned to the next person in line, whose Rolycoly had fainted. A larger Carkol trailed behind him. Must be either a rock-type or a fire-type Trainer. Or they must really like Coalossal's evolution line. Either way, the Carkol seemed much too grumpy to have any interaction with.  
As Hop turned to leave his pokemon to rest, he nearly toppled over an Indeedee that was carrying a tray of pokeballs to the counter. The creature let out a startled cry, nearly dropping the tray. Luckily Hop swooped in in time to help, or else the pokemon would be all over the floor by now. The Indeedee straightened herself, chirping a little thank you before going on her way. That was the thing about pokemon centers; They were always busy, bustling with people and pokemon trying to make it to the next stop on the road to whatever it was that they were doing. Just a few years ago they added another station that allowed Trainers to teach their pokemon long forgotten moves, even forget moves if they wanted. That caused even more business in the small center.

Not only that, Galar had gained a lot more tourists in the past few years as well. The reason for that was the introduction of the dynamax phenomenon, and everyone was absolutely intrigued and _had_ to see it for themselves, despite not being able to take the ability home with them like a z-ring or a mega ring. Dynamaxing was only an occurance that happened in specific areas of the region, called power spots. Each one was controlled by Macro Cosmos - the company Chairman Rose owned - and had gyms built over them. Stray, smaller spots were called dens, in which wild pokemon wandered into and dynamaxed out of random. Trainers absolutely loved going into them to either capture or defeat said pokemon to train. Very rarely, a pokemon with the capability to Gigantamax could be found inside a den.  
Therefore, Trainers from all over came to see what was so special, and the audience count in national Championship Cups doubled their size. Last year, the stadium in Wyndon had been packed to the brim just to see Raihan slaughtered again by Leon and his Charizard. It wasn't anything special, unless you count seeing Leon's matches a glorious spectacle. He'd been Champion for how many years now? Although Hop promised he'd never miss a single match, he still got bored over the years. Always the same thing. Although two years ago Raihan had almost won, but of course Charizard had toughed out the critical hit that Duraludon had dealt, lashing out with twice the firepower due to his Blaze ability. Oh, Raihan had been pissed. He didn't talk to Leon for weeks after that, but eventually got over it mostly due to his crush on the brilliant Champion.  
Speaking of which, Hop still couldn't believe what had happened at last year's match. He was lucky he didn't stop watching when he did, expecting another one of Leon's "everyone in Galar has potential" speeches. Instead, he was greeted with live feed of Raihan and Leon kissing. In the stadium. In front of millions - no, possibly _billions_ of people because the Championship Finals were always broadcasted through international television, meaning to all regions, for those who don't understand the sheer shock that the event put the world through. Hop had kind of figured they had a thing for each other by the way Raihan absolutely tried as _hard_ as he could to flirt with Leon, though being the oblivious little shit he was, took it as a shower of compliments more than anything. There was also that period of existential crisis where Leon had questioned his life choices when he realized what Raihan had actually been doing. Though he hadn't told anyone if they were actually together or not. According to him, he just kissed Raihan to see if he felt the same. He was lucky Raihan did, because it would have devastatingly embarrassing if he turned the poor Champ down.  
So now they were a thing, Hop guessed. It wasn't a secret now, anyways, since the two spent every second they could together. Hop kind of felt jealous since he would probably never have someone that loved him like that.

Hop let out a sigh, shutting that thought away. He was too busy to think about things like that. Too young, even. He'd like a life beforehand, thank you very much. He actually was looking into the pokemon research career if he never got as far as becoming Champion. He had even been pulling out a few minutes of his time to study his own pokemon to get a head start, sometimes helping Sonia out at the lab. She made him promise to come back to her if he lost, so that was that. There was no arguing with that woman, despite her appearing sweet and harmless.  
He couldn't stop himself from yawning. He hadn't slept last night, since he had been up the entire time trying to catch pokemon for his team. Maybe he should rest for a while. He'd get to see Hammerlocke later, if he even made it that far. If he didn't, he'd still be able to explore it through Raihan's guidance, seeing as he and leon were so close that they were even talking about moving in with each other. So Hammerlocke was going to be a second home, so he'd have plenty of opportunities in the future.  
Hop frowned. He hadn't slept last night, and he couldn't remember the last time he actually _did_. Even as he thought about it, he felt like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. The gym challenge was stressful, to say the least. He couldn't rest until he knew he was completely ready for the next gym, which was impossible since he was constantly changing his team to try out new techniques. Therefore, he was always trying to get his newer pokemon up to par with the others, but he hardly made it through the next day. He had already keeled over a week ago due to too much pressure on himself. It was best if he avoided that happening again.  
"Nurse Joy?"  
The young woman looked up from her desk. "Yes?"  
"I'll take that room you offered."  
For extra measures, he texted his brother not to wait up for him if he was late.

It was late afternoon when he returned to the first floor to collect his pokemon and be on his way. But Nurse Joy stopped him before he could walk out the door.  
"Oh! You have a special delivery," she announced, diving under the desk to rummage around in whatever she had under there.  
"Delivery?" Hop echoed. "I didn't order anything."  
"Must be a fan, then. I don't blame them." She handed a pokeball to him, smiling. "You are quite the battler. One of the best Galar's seen since your brother started his own challenge."  
Hop grinned. "Thanks," he replied, not sure on what else to say. His attention returned to the pokeball. "What's inside?"  
"Sorry, I'm not permitted to open someone else's pokeball without consent."  
He nodded in understanding. Though he was still hesitant. "What if it's something dangerous?" he fretted.  
"As far as I'm concerned, a pokemon unwilling to be captured won't stay in a pokeball at all," Joy ensured him. "Go on. I'm sure it's something special."  
The ball opened with a flash of blue light. Something small formed on the floor, and a couple heads turned to look at what was happening. Hop's heart jumped to his throat.  
An Applin. Someone had given him an Applin.  
"W-who left it for me?"  
"No clue. The mailman came with it and said that the giver had asked to remain anonymous."  
Well butter his ass and call him a biscuit. Someone out there was trying to get a message through to him and he had no idea who it was. It reminded him of one of Leon's gifts a year ago, where someone unknown had given him an Applin. Until now, no one knew who it was until Raihan began dropping hints. Leon still didn't know, but he still cherished the small wyrm with all his heart.  
Hop didn't want that. He wouldn't be able to handle going on without knowing who it was. It'd haunt him for the rest of his days until he finally figured out who it was. Even then, he didn't know if it was just a creep or someone he knew that had genuine feelings for him.  
He shuddered at the thought.


	3. [insert gay panic here]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bede somehow gets Hop's number and the latter has his first gay panic attack.

The Applin was never spoke of again. For extra safety measures, Hop had transferred it into the PC in case someone decided to snoop around his stuff. Besides, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else knowing that it was with him.  
Putting all thoughts about the incident aside, he finally left the pokemon center with a very distraught demeanor. He decided to go on to Circhester himself, maybe to take the opportunity to train his new Trevenant. Granted that the thing wouldn't kill him the moment he turned his back, it would make a formidable opponent if he went up against the rock gym instead of the ice one. Then again, they just might let him loose against Melony just for that one pokemon, but he still had Cinderace. There was a very high chance that he'd fight Gordie unless he found something else to help him out. He kind of regretted leaving Silicobra behind, but Leon had seemed terrified enough of it. When he had been in his gym challenge, he had been bitten in the leg by one, leaving him scarred and with a very slight limp that was hardly noticable unless you really paid attention.  
He thought he was going to travel through Route 8 and Steamdrift Way on his own until he spotted none other than the Champion of Sinnoh waiting for him at the end of the eastern bridge. As soon as she caught sight of him, Eliana crossed her arms and waited for him to meet her. "Where the hell have you been?"  
"Sleeping," Hop replied, still walking. Eliana stood where she was for a second out of shock, then trailed behind him.  
"Sleeping? Didn't you stop at the Inn back in Ballonlea when you got there?"  
"No."  
"What were you doing, then?"  
"Training."  
She sighed, done with the short, blunt answers. "Look, I have a right to be worried," she argued. "After what you've been through lately, it's safe to say you're sleep schedule is out of wack due to depression itself. Stress might-"  
"It's nothing. I didn't sleep, so I took the time to do it while you guys were busy. Clear?" Hop recoiled. He studied Eliana's expression, not liking the hurt look in her eyes one bit.  
She stuttered, not sure what to say to that. So instead she just gave up, changing the subject. "There's a pretty bad sandstorm up ahead. You sure you just don't want to wait it out?"  
"I'm already late as it is. If I wait any longer, I'll be disqualified for taking too long." Hop paused at the word _disqualified_ , remembering Bede. He shoved the thought out of his mind as quickly as it had appeared.  
So onto Route 8 they went, and it was silent for most of the way.

"I'm heading to bed," Eliana declared, already heading for the door. "Don't stay up too late, alright? You've got a gym challenge tomorrow."  
Not too late, she said, right as the clock struck 1:30 in the morning. Hop stopped himself from laughing, nodding instead. "I won't," he assured her. She smiled, then left him to himself in his hotel room.  
They had just reached Circhester a couple hours ago, heading immediately to the gym to schedule Hop's battle there, which would take place late afternoon tomorrow. So that left plenty of time to train for what was ahead, especially against the type disadvantage he'd face against Gordie. Trevenant would carry him through most of it, but the Gigantamaxing Coalossal would cause him a lot of problems.  
He'd worry about it later. He was exhausted after pushing through a hell of a sandstorm today, and he'd have sand stuck to him for weeks, even after washing himself as thoroughly as possible. His poor coat would be a different story. If it was even possible, he had frostbite on top of his sunburns because of how stupidly cold it was. One second, he was in blistering heat and the next, he was in below-zero weather. Maybe if Raihan were here, he could explain why Galar's own Mother Nature forgot to take her PMS pills. But he was back at Hammerlocke from now on, stuck with facing challengers and either kicking their ass or having it the other way around. Very few challengers made it past him. _Very_ few.  
It didn't take long for Hop to give up staying awake. Leon had texted him, and he quotes, "go the fuck to sleep, you're getting delusional" before heading offline to do whatever he was doing this late at night. Or early in the morning. Whatever you wanted to call it. Long story short, Hop had asked him what to do if someone said they loved him. So much for being the helpful big brother. He was worried that might happen.  
Oh well.  
Only minutes after Hop had gone to lay down and finally sleep, his phone buzzed again. He sighed, figuring it was either Leon again or Eliana telling him to go to bed if he waasn't already. Though it wasn't what he expected to see at all.  
"What in the hell?"  
He definitely wasn't going to sleep now.

**Bede** **:** hey  
**Hop:** how the fuck did you get my number

There was a long pause before those dreaded three dancing dots appeared.

**Bede** **:** rotom make friends with everything they see  
**Bede** **:** in other words you can blame them that this happened

Hop burst out laughing. Not because he was amused, but because he was just astonished. Since when did his Rotom converse with Bede's? When they were using each other as punching bags?

**Hop:** and you even bothered to text me??  
**Bede** **:** we're not exactly rivals anymore now that I'm disqualified right?  
**Hop:** I guess that makes sense  
**Bede** **:** besides, it's killing me knowing what i did to you  
**Hop:** holy shit, he said he cared  
**Bede** **:** that wasn't what I said  
**Bede** **:** I meant that I want to try starting over  
**Hop:** Seriously? Never took you for someone to give second chances to anything  
**Bede** **:** there's a lot you don't know about me  
**Hop:** valid  
**Bede** **:** we should talk in person again  
  
Hop froze at that. This was fine, since he couldn't tell if anything he said was sarcasm or not. In person, Bede could just be throwing insults out of the wazoo. But if he was offering a second chance, Hop should too. He had at least _some_ dignity left.

**Hop:** I'm in Circhester. How about around Route 8?  
**Bede** **:** sounds like a date  
**Bede** **:** i mean not like a DATE date just  
**Bede** **:** you know what I mean  
  
He chuckled to himself, not expecting to do that when Bede was in the picture.

**Hop:** got it  
**Bede** **:** for the record I'm not interested. At all. In dating you  
**Hop:** lol it's fine

Though he couldn't help but feel a pang of _something_ when he read that. No. No, he wasn't going to fall for it. Ever. He wasn't going to go down that road, _especially_ with his worst enemy.  
But he had a feeling that it was going to be too late for him. As soon as he realized what that feeling was, he wanted to smash it to pieces and have Cinderace burn it to ashes. No, not him, not now, not ever. This was not good. He couldn't fall in love, could he? Not with Bede. Impossible. Bede was insufferable, annoying, obnoxious, and downright rude. There was no logical reason to love him. Or even have a simple crush on him. He wasn't ready, and he wasn't willing. He was already dealing with enough as it is.  
Another message popped up, though it was from Eliana instead.

**Garchomp_Hoe** **:** go to fucking sleep  
**Smol** **_Child** **:** no u  
**Smol_Child** **:** i was literally about to fall asleep so fuck you  
**Garchomp_Hoe** **:** It's three in the morning  
**Smol_Child** **:** your point?  
**Garchomp_Hoe** **:** i told you to go to sleep two and a half hours ago  
**Smol_Child** **:** maybe I'm doing satanic practices  
**Garchomp_Hoe** **:** without inviting me?  
**Garchomp_Hoe** **:** cmon you know better than that  
**Smol_Child** **:** lmao alright  
**Garchomp_Hoe** **:** now sleep or I get out the big fuzzy lion to crush you  
**Smol_Child** **:** fine fine i'm going  
**Garchomp_Hoe** **:** <3  
**Smol** **_Child** **:** fuck you too

He turned off his phone before she could send a huge ranting reply back to that. He wouldn't admit that the other reason for that was avoiding any further conversation with Bede. He just needed to sleep on it. Nothing irrational lasted long. He'd forget it all in the morning. Or later. It was four, after all. Hop sighed covering his face with his hands and laid there for a while, trying to calm his racing mind. He didn't know when he finally did sleep, but he did know that didn't matter, because he felt just as exhausted and conflicted when he woke up.  
One step closer to either a stunning victory or a crushing defeat.


	4. Is being obsessed with Snom considered a kink?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop meets up with Bede and finds out something his poor gay heart can't stand.

Boltund gave a happy yip as he romped around in the snow, stuffing his nose into the snow and then popping back up again with a bunch of it up his nostrils. Hop was surprised that the thing was still active as ever after nearly being crushed by Coalossal earlier. It was the pokemon that had powered through in the end and brought him to victory, after all of his others had fainted. He and Snorlax were the ones that really helped out, but Boltund only won because he had knocked off what was left of Coalossal's life after Snorlax was done with him. And since Snorlax lasted that long, he'd get to stay. Trevenant was only able to battle for the gym trainers, so he didn't even make it to the battle with Gordie.

It was a trend Hop had kept up with, figuring out which pokemon of the new bunches he collected was the best, and then he kept them for when he had a full team. So far he had figured out that Corviknight and Pincurchin were perfect team members, and he wanted to keep Dubwool on it for old time's sake. Adding Snorlax and Cinderace gave him five pokemon, leaving one slot left for a potentially powerful member.

Eliana had egged him on about getting a Snom for herself, seeing as she had caught one yesterday and had already made a perfect friendship with it. She insisted that it was a great pet and companion, since it wasn't suited for battle. But by Arceus, did that thing have an appetite.

Hop had let his current team out to play for the last time before half of them went to the PC boxes, and so far he was starting to regret keeping Boltund in there because he was just so gosh-darn playful. Maybe he'd do what Eliana did and make him a pet in the future. But now he was focusing on a battle team, not a pokemon to play with.

Next stop was Spikemuth, but he wouldn't have too much of a problem with the dark-types since Cinderace knew a decent fighting-type move. So did Dubwool, but he'd be leading with his starter all the way.  
  
"C'mon, just pet him!" Eliana cried, holding out the Snom to Hop. The small creature gave an adorable trill, even reaching out with its tiny legs and squealing for attention.

"No. If I touch it, that'll start an obsession with me that won't go away," Hop retorted, taking a step back from it.

"It has a name."

"Oh, good Arceus above."

"It's Dennis. Dennis the Snom."

Hop laughed. "You know, all of your pokemon look like they could kill you if they wanted, and here you are with a stupid snow caterpillar that has a butt for a face."

Eliana gasped, holding Dennis close to her chest. "How dare you!" she snarled back, giving him a scowl as she covered the clueless thing's ears(?). "He's perfectly adorable and the most majestic Snom out there."

Dennis gave an agreeing whine. "Snom Snom!"

"Stuff a snowball in it," Hop sneered at it, turning back to his own pokemon. Boltund was still at it, currently trying to get Heatmor to play with him. The aardvark growled, stomping away and trying to melt a little hole in the snow to curl up in. Boltund immediately turned to try playing with Trevenant, which nearly had him thrown across the ground. The living tree had always been angry, and Hop was actually planning on releasing it to avoid future conflict. He was trying to avoid possessing a tree stump in his afterlife.

"Has Leon said anything yet?" he said suddenly, looking at Eliana.

She shook her head. "Not since last night. He's either still sleeping or really busy doing Champion stuff."

Hop frowned. Once again, his brother had missed one of his matches. And he didn't even text him at all since then, and that was two hours ago.

"I'm hungry. Why don't we go get something to eat to celebrate your glorious win?" Eliana offered.

"Glorious? More like pure luck," Hop sighed.

"Whatever, same thing," the other replied, giving a dismissive wave of the hand. "There's a restaurant I want to check out. You coming or staying here and freezing to death?"

Hop thought about it for a moment. "Alright. But don't expect me to stick around," he said with a bored tone. Eliana flashed him an eyeroll.  
  


The snowstorm was just starting to pick up as Hop left Eliana behind at Bob's Your Uncle, grateful to get away from that stuffy place and into some fresh air. ALthough he had to admit that the cold was like a slap to the face after being in such a warm setting. For the second time in twenty-four hours, he had gone from insane heat to frigid air in under seconds. That was the fastest way to get, but did he care at this point? No. If you had to do the same stupid thing over and over again until you won - or lost - you'd be pretty over it, too. He cared more about getting this whole gym challenge over with so he wouldn't be so stressed. He still hadn't heard back from Leon, either. Like he was being ignored. Again.

Hop shoved his hands in his pockets and suppressed a shiver. Hopefully Bede made this quick, because he felt like he'd turn into a human icecube by the time he got back to Hotel Ionia.

Like always, Route 8 was infested with Snom and Weavile, plus the occasional Beartic. A few Darumaka popped their heads up from the frosted tall grass to see who had come to play with them, but decided Hop wasn't worth coming out of their hiding place.

Amid the common ice-types and the rare Sawk or Throh, there was one pokemon nearby that didn't fit the environment at all. That didn't belong there.

A very lithe and well-cared for Sylveon was playing with a Snorunt, having the time of her life and gaining more friends every minute. Most of them were Snom, the attention-needing bastards they were. Hop couldn't help but admit that the scene was adorable. He approached the pokemon slowly, then crouched down to greet them. The Snorunt ran for the hills, but of course the Snom stayed behind and rushed to him like it was the end of the world and he was their messiah. The Sylveon sat obediently, tucking her ribbons in to keep her perfect posture and performance. Definitely well-trained, too.

"Well, aren't you special," Hop laughed, going to scratch her under the chin. "Where's your Trainer?"

The pokemon immediately shot up at the word _Trainer_ , trotting away a couple feet and then stopped to mewl at him. She eagerly danced around Hop and grabbed his wrist with one of her ribbons. "Syl!"

"Wh- Hey!"

He was pulled along as the Sylveon urged him onwards, though Hop froze and pried the ribbons off when he saw who it was. Sylveon paused and looked up at him with confusion in her beautiful blue gaze. But it couldn't be his. Eevee only evolved into Sylveon if they had such a powerful bond with their Trainer...

It wasn't possible.

"Sylver, I told you to keep a lookout for him, not to drag him along like a Drifloon taking a child with it," came the annoyed voice of Bede as he approached them. The Sylveon cooed and met him halfway, rolling over in the snow and begging for attention.

"That's yours?" Hop asked, actually starting to believe it now that he's seen how the Sylveon acts around the other.

"Of course," Bede scoffed. "She's my most loyal companion since three days ago."

Sylveon let out another mewl, rolling over again. Bede leaned down to rub her belly, in which she squealed in delight.

The sight was... cute. Hop couldn't deny that. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the thought of how absolutely adorable this was. Arceus, he was really far down the Bunnelby hole, wasn't he?

"Are you just going to stand there or are you at least going to acquaintance yourself with the poor thing?"

Hop blinked a few times, processing what had just been said. "She looks pampered enough. How much do you spoil that thing?"

"You'd be surprised at what I can do in a short time span," Bede replied. He stood up, brushing a few snowflakes off his coat. "I'm not heartless, you know. I treat my pokemon with the respect and love that I never got."

"What do you mean by that?" Hop asked, a little concerned now.

"Long story. And that's not what I'm here for. I've said enough about myself lately, and I'm curious to hear about you."

So he really was trying to start over. A lot of things circled around Hop's mind then, and one of the ones in bold print with red underline was _I think you're hot, so how about that?_ But he kept his mouth shut for his own safety.

"Well, do you want me to state the obvious or are you actually interested in my personal life?" he wondered. "Cuz I can say that I'm the younger brother of the almighty unbeatable Champion of Galar, who, by the way, has a brilliant Charizard that crushes all opponents before him."

Bede actually laughed. "Please tell me that was sarcasm."

"That was sarcasm."

"You've basically quoted his entire vocabulary. The only thing you were missing was the impression of his voice and that ridiculous Charizard Pose at the end." He smirked, which was different for Hop, since he'd never seen Bede actually _smile_ before.

"I can do that," Hop declared, crossing his arms.

"Prove it."

And so Hop called upon his perfect impression of Leon, even taking on the confident and extroverted side of the Champion. "I'm the unbeatable Champion of Galar, and this is my Brilliant Charizard! We're gonna have a Champion time!" And then he struck the infamous Charizard Pose, and it was completely accurate to Leon's.

"How long have you been doing this?" Bede asked between laughing. "What, do you idolize him or something?"

"I mastered that performance when I was four years old!" Hop answered, acting proud of himself. "Give me a break, I was really young. He was my brother _and_ the Champion, for crying out loud. Of course I idolized him!"

"Never knew how that felt, and I never will. I'm not sure if I _want_ to."

"Only child?"

"I don't have a family to begin with," Bede replied, his smile faltering. "I've dealt with it for this long, so don't you dare worry about me. I'm doing perfectly fine, thank you."

Hop stuttered. "I didn't mean anything by it. I didn't know."

"Not a lot of people do."

Sylveon, who had been waiting patiently to receive more belly rubs sat up at her Trainer's sudden change in tone. She wrapped a ribbon around his wrist, cooing sadly. She seemed like the perfect therapy pokemon.

"I'm fine, Sylver, don't worry," Bede assured her, but she remained where she was, stubbornly trying to provide comfort.

"That's a beautiful name," Hop observed. "I don't name my pokemon, but now I'm thinking I should."

"I think it establishes a more secure connection between pokemon and Trainer. It makes it look like you care, if you know what I mean," Bede explained.

"Yeah, I can see that."

"Anyways, back to you. You're avoiding my question."

Hop laughed. "Right. What do you want to know?"

"Well, what do you want me to know? For all you can tell, I can take your information and send it out for the world to hear." Bede eyed him suspiciously, as if he was being told a lie.

"You said you weren't heartless," Hop reasoned. "Besides, you've got a Sylveon, so that's one thing."

He nodded. "I see."

"Well." Hop paused, trying to find something interesting. "My first pokemon wasn't the one Leon gave me. Cinderace was my second."

"Who was your first?"

"Wooloo. I've had her since I was about two, and we've been pals ever since. She's really strong in battle, too."

"Not many people use Wooloo or Dubwool for battle. Your tactics are unpredictable. I like that," Bede commented, giving another smirk that sent Hop's heart leaping out of his chest.

"I also hate living in my brother's shadow. You know, like having the weight of the legacy as Champion on your shoulders. That, and everyone acts like I don't exist when he's around. So I know how it feels. Being alone, I mean." Hop looked down at the ground. He never expected to be so open about this. This was the most he's told anybody at once, besides Eliana. He really was falling for this boy, wasn't he?

Bede was quiet for a moment. "That's... Not exactly what I expected."

"What were you expecting?" Hop panicked, willing to change the subject.

"You seem extremely outgoing. The kind of person that ignores being ignored," the other said. He gave Sylver a scratch behind the ears, assuring her that he was still alright.

"Well, I lot of people think that," Hop replied quietly.

"They compare you to being the Champion's brother too, don't they?"

He nodded somberly. "It gets old after a while. If I was younger, I would have loved it, but now I sort of wished people saw me as a regular individual. They think I must be just as strong as Leon is, like it's in the blood or something. I mean, one of our cousins was a Champion too, so I suppose they're entitled to believe it." He stopped to chuckle sadly. "Like I'd ever make it that far, anyways."

"Bullshit."

Hop startled, looking back up at Bede. "What?"

"I said that's bullshit," he repeated. "You're one of the most skilled Trainers I've ever seen, and that's saying something. You've used such amazing tactics that no one's ever thought of, and you're nothing like your brother. You're smarter than he is, that's for damn sure. It's a wonder how that man has made it this long as Champion with a brain like a Cramorant. If anything, you'll beat him and stay as Champion ten times longer with that mind of yours."

Hop felt like he could cry. He wasn't expecting anything like that from Bede, and it felt so much better to hear that coming from someone who hardly knew him. He smiled wide, swelling with pride. "You think so?"

"I _know_ so," Bede assured him. "Keep your head high and just ignore anybody that tells you otherwise. I couldn't do that because I was alone for so long without anyone to tell me that. I'd rather help someone be successful than screw up their lives like Rose did to me."

"I... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I know. You're welcome."

"Since when did you become so empathetic?"

Bede gave him a shit-eating grin. "Since I started training as the successor of the fairy gym. I'm ordered to be nice or else I'm whacked on the back of the head with an umbrella."

"Opal took you in?" Hop was absolutely appalled that he wasn't told this sooner.

"Apparently I've piqued her interest. Crazy old bat, if I do say so myself."

"I guess that explains the Sylveon." He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "That's a huge step up from being disqualified from the gym challenge."

"It is, isn't it?" Bede asked, feeling proud of himself.

"I would have never guessed that someone like you would train fairy-types."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"W-well, fairy-types are more of a... You know, girl thing?"

"And what's wrong with a boy liking fairy-types?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! It's just a little cute."

He immediately shut his trap, eyes blown wide at his own words. Shit. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. He shouldn't have said that.

Before he could even see Bede's slight smile at that, he turned around briskly and called back, "I should go."

He ignored his name being called as he walked away, starting to think that he should have gone back to that Steelix after all.  
  
  
  
  


The Applin munched happily on an oran berry, chittering and getting the juices everywhere. It was young, after all, so it's habit was natural.

Hop couldn't believe he had taken that thing out of the PC. He just felt like he should. It was a reminder that he shouldn't be doing what he had been doing. He shouldn't be falling in love. Never, not once in his life, not even in the afterlife. It wasn't for him. Then why was it so damn hard to deny his feelings?

The pokemon before him rolled closer, having just finished the berry. It was cute, he had to admit, but it was also terrifying. Not physically, but the mental pressure it put on Hop was horrible.

He finally gave up on trying to force his feelings away, calling the Applin back to its ball. He rolled it around in his hand a little, pausing when he saw something on the bottom.

Arceus above.

It was the fairy-type gym logo, with the name _Ballonlea_ written in beautiful calligraphy.

"That little shit."

Hop took out his phone and snapped a picture of it, sending it to Bede.

**Hop:** you're horrible at this  
**Hop:** if you wanted to keep it a secret, you should at least have rubbed the logo off  
  
Bede replied only seconds after.

**Bede** **:** who said i wanted it to be a secret?

Hop choked on his own spit and air. No. Not happening. Oh, _Arceus_ , he was so gay.

**Hop:** we need to talk  
**Bede** **:** we just did  
**Hop:** well we need to do it again or i'm gonna have a stroke  
**Bede** **:** stroke away

He went offline. Hop stared at the message, then reread it about a hundred times before realizing that Bede was probably being just as insecure about it as he was. And Hop couldn't even ask for help from anyone without raising suspicion. Eliana would never stop bugging him about it. Leon would be more overprotective than he already was. Raihan would probably make fun of him for it to no end.

Well fuck him and his stupid desperate feelings. He could figure this out on his own, no problem.

Maybe.

Yeah, no. He's never going to figure this out.


	5. I dunnno, bro, that's kinda gay-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop and Bede spend a quiet day together.

"What'd I tell you? You made it, didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just terrified that Raihan's gonna slaughter me when I get to his gym."

"I can always lend you one of my pokemon."

"Have you forgot that his main pokemon is a Gigantamaxing Duraludon?"

"True."

Hop chuckled, resting his head on Bede's shoulder. It had been a while since they've seen each other in person. Sure, they talk over the phone a _lot,_ but it's just not the same. Plus the last time was a visit out of horror that Hop was having an episode, so nearly all romantic energy had disappeared. Despite the moment they kissed. We ignore that.

At the moment, the two had met up in Hammerlocke, where they were enjoying a nice moment together without anyone around to see them. Yeah, keeping this whole thing a secret was a huge factor in this relationship. If people found out, they'd be harassed to no end. So it was best that they just keep it to themselves, granted that Raihan wouldn't be the blabbermouth he was and post the fucking thing on every platform of social media he had.

The only thing about it besides that was how overprotective Leon was now. Since Hop and Bede hadn't exactly seen eye to eye beforehand - re: pummeling each other in the middle of Motostoke - he was entitled to be worried. But he took it too far sometimes, demanding that he check Hop's phone for any hate texts or things like that. Hop demanded that he could have his privacy, but Leon bit right back with the fact that Hop never told anyone about his insecurities or bad incidents. He had him there. Because of Leon's concern, Hop always planned ahead to meet with Bede in complete secrecy. The only person he told about where he was going was Eliana, whom he trusted not to tell anyone.

"How about that Cramorant you caught? It's gotta be worth something," Bede spoke up after a while.

"It's a water-flying-type, so it'll be useful against Raihan's Sandaconda. Maybe his Gigalith, too, but the rock-type moves might screw me over," Hop explained. "It's a double battle, though, so I can use something else to act like a barrier for Cramorant. The bird may be stupid as all hell, but he's got skill."

Said bird let out a warbling cry, beak snapped shut around a stick. And it wasn't the way a Yamper would hold it. No, the damned thing had the stick shoved down his throat, currently trying to swallow it as Cinderace panicked and tried to stop him. The other pokemon laughed at them.

"It's going to kill itself if it keeps doing that," Bede worried. "You should train it to, you know, _not_ eat everything it sees?"

"It's in its blood. Besides, it's useful in battle." Hop tried to convince himself of that as he watched Cramorant hack up the stick, which landed on the ground caked in spit and saliva. Cinderace jumped back, making a disgusted sound before backing away. Cramorant squawked, eyes bobbling in their sockets as he walked around looking for something else to inhale.

"Okay, he has some issues, but he's useful," Hop corrected, just as Cramorant began eating a fairly large rock. "Alright, a lot of issues."

Bede barked a laugh. "You never cease to amaze me," he stated.

Hop smiled up at him. "Why do you have to be so nice when you want to be?"

"Because I'm a selective asshole. Next question."

He burst out into a fit of laughter at that, nodding. "That's accurate," he replied in between wheezes.

"Damn right."

"Alright, I've got a good one. How old are you really?"

"How old do you think I am?" Bede shot back, narrowing his eyes.

"I dunno, fifteen?"

"Thirteen. Close enough. You?"

"Twelve and three quarters. You got me."

"Strange. You strike me as fourteen."

"Hey, my birthday's in three months, give me a break."

"No, I will not. you're exactly a year and two months younger than me, so I have a right to bully you for your age."

"And the asshole's back."

Bede only smirked in reply. This was how things always went between them. One moment they were complimenting and sending love to each other, and the next they were at each other's throats again. Hop didn't mind it. It kept things interesting and not mushy all the time.

"You're staring at me again."

Hop blinked, looking away. He muttered a quick apology before sitting up, placing his hands in his lap.

"I didn't mean you should stop," Bede assured him.

"What, do you have a kink for attention?" Hop chuckled.

"I don't know. I've never tried to see if I have any kinks, per se, since I've never had a reason to."

"That was a joke," Hop established. "Jeez, you perv."

Bede frowned. "And I thought you were interested."

Hop spluttered. "I didn't say that! Of course I'm interested! I- I didn't-" He stopped, putting his face in his hands to hide his mad blushing.

The other laughed, patting him on the back. "That was a joke. Jeez, you perv," he taunted, earning a venomous glare from his boyfriend.

"I hate you," he mumbled, letting out an exasperated huff.

"Ditto," Bede hissed back. "Now shut up and kiss me before I do something about it."

"Why are your suggestions to kiss always threats?"

"Because it works."

If that wasn't true, then Hop's whole life was a lie. He sighed dramatically, playfully arguing, "Gee, I don't know, what if I don't wanna?"

He yelped when Bede grabbed him by the front of his shirt to bring him in close. "You know I'll find a way," he replied with the most seductive voice and gaze Hop had ever experienced in his entire life.

"I know what you're trying to do and it isn't going to work," Hop scolded him. "If Leon or anyone else found out, they'd have our heads."

"Cockblockers are what they are."

"So am I." Hop wriggled free, shooting a defensive frown at him. "Not ready. We just got together, for crying out loud. Give me at least a year."

Bede put his hands up in surrender. "That's all you had to say," he assured him. "I'd never do anything that you don't approve of."

"Stop being so sexy and I wouldn't have to worry," Hop growled. Before Bede could react to that, he leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips, leaving the fairy-type Trainer frozen. "Happy now?"

Bede blinked, then nodded. "That works," he said bluntly, still stiff and unmoving.

"Look, I'm learning! I think I broke him." Hop looked to his pokemon, smiling. "Think I should restart the system?" The pokemon trilled in laughter. "Or should I just unplug it and plug it back in again?"

"You should watch what you say. I don't think you realize the sheer _wrongness_ that sentence had," Bede admonished, finally back to his senses.

"See? Good as new!" Hop continued, even patting Bede on the head. "Almost in mint condition, too!"

" _Stop._ "

\---

Hop made it back to the Budew Drop Inn just before ten hit, sneakily making his way to his bed, trying not to wake Leon, who had decided to crash here instead of Raihan's to avoid another sleepless night for... reasons. But as soon as Hop silently shut the door behind him, the light flicked on, causing him to cry out in surprise.

"Where have you been?" Leon demanded. "You haven't been answering anyone's texts or calls! You know how much I worry about you!"

Hop stuttered. "I was... out training in the Wild Area," he lied. "I'm trying to get Cramorant up to par with the rest of my team."

"Then explain this," Leon ordered as he poked Hop's neck.

"Ow! Quit that! It's not what you think, I swear. I had us stop before we-"

"So you admit it." Leon shook his head, eyes narrowing in thought and a few other things. "Training in the Wild Area, huh? Was he with you?"

"No. I mean, I wasn't really in the Wild Area."

He arched a brow, urging him to go on.

"I was still in Hammerlocke. I didn't go far, really."

"Far as in far from the hotel or far from losing your virginity?"

Hop inhaled, gritting his teeth before saying something he'd regret later. "Look. I just want to sleep, so _please_ , at least wait until I wake up to bring this up, alright?" He mumbled a very quiet _damn_ under his breath as he shouldered his way past his brother and made his way to the bed again.

Leon could only watch him, confused and just downright concerned. But he wasn't willing to piss off Hop more than he already did, since their relationship at the moment had gone below friendship recently. Leon honestly didn't know what he was doing wrong. He decided to elaborate on it later, leaving to go to bed himself in the adjacent room.

Hop waited until the door closed before getting out his phone to see how many messages he had really missed. And holy Arceus, was there a lot. He opened the group chat he had between his small group of friends, which consisted of just him, Eliana, Leon, and Raihan.

 **Smol_Child** **:** 347 notifs what the actual fuck  
**Garchomp_Hoe** **:** oh so nOW YOU DECIDE TO SHOW UP

He laughed and closed out of that before he could get another virtual earful from Eliana. So instead he went to text Bede a quick thank you and goodnight.

**Hoppip** **:** alright i'm heading to bed  
**Hoppip** **:** today was great <3  
**FairyBoy** **:** you little shit  
**Hoppip** **:** wh  
**FairyBoy** **:** you did it again  
**Hoppip** **:** what, steal the applin?  
**FairyBoy** **:** yes  
**FairyBoy** **:** theif  
**Hoppip** **:** I before E except after C  
**FairyBoy** **:** thceif  
**Hoppip** **:** no


End file.
